Pulse generating apparatus



Aug. 4, 1953 E. L. c. WHITE 2,647,946

PULSE GENERATING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y? "V7 v w s z Y d o o "5 T n 28 il; go o E.. L. C. df/171.

Aug. 4, 1953 E. L, c. WHITE 2,647,946

PULSE GENERATING APPATUS Filed June 29,- 1949 2 Sheets-Shet 2 (d) iL I naz.

FIM/E consmme cmcun' mi A amiss/ou I I couemme /mmUmVLVLVL ILFLIUUUU1VLl-UU cwuzunr @m F/G. 4. l 661 l| y Patented Aug. 4, 1953 PULSE GENERATIN G APPARATUS Eric Lawrence Casling White, Richings Way, Iver,

England,` assigner to Electric & Musical Industries Limited, Hayes, England, a company voi Great yBritain Application June 29, 1949,5Serial-No. 102,130 .In Great Britain vJuly ,1, -194'8 8 Claims. 1 This invention relates.- to electrical pulse-generating apparatus.` k v y e l{fn-television v.transmitting equipment which operates with interlaced scanning, the` line and frame frequency cameratriggering `pulses ,and other pulses of line and I frame-frequency such as Asynchronisingf pulses, suppression pulses, blackout pulses -and- -keying pulses are usually generated under theecontrol of a single master oscillator Which.generates master pulses at twice-linefrequency;` Itis-desirable fora variety of-reasons that ther-pulses offrame frequency should have `their leading and, trailing.` edges occurri-ngaccuratelyl at definite times inthe line periods, that is the periods between the lleading edges vofssuccessive linezfsynchronising pulses.

Theobjectof -thepresentl inventionis to provide improved pulse ygenerating apparatusl such as' is .suitablefor vuse in' television: and; like.- equipment .with .a Viewl to achieving, the, desired accuracy.v f

According to the presentinvention; there 'is provided .-,electricalg pulse` generating apparatus comprising mea-ns for `generating potential variations. of stepped-waveform: under they control ofemasterfpulses.applied -to said apparatusfso that ,Y the f timing ofthe, potential: increments,l in saidv stepped-Waveform variations are determined bywsaid master pulses,l -andmeans for. generating periodically-recurring pulses :the timing-tof, Whose leadingf and-trailing edges are respectively determined bypredetermined ,increments in` said stepped-waveform 4 variations-.4 t vAccording .to-onenform of. thegpresent invention there is.providedi-anielectricalf pulse-generating apparatus comprising means for generating potential `variationsfof stepped-waveform under the -control of lmaster..pulsesfapplied to said apparatus so that the timingl of the potential. increments of saidv stepped-waveform variations arevdetermined bysaidmaster pulses, and means for generating a plurality of` series of periodically recurringpulses under the control of said stepped-Waveform` variations, the'- arrangement being such that the timing of the leading and trailingfedges'of said-pulses are respectively determined .by predetermined increments in said stepped-Waveformr variations, the trailing edges of the pulses in thediffe'rentrseries being determined by different increments `of the stepped- Waveform variations; l

According to one application ofthe present invention there is provided a television apparatus Ahaving meansA .for generating 'pulsesAv of frame. frequency. under fthe' controlof pulsesof twice-line frequency, said apparatus comprising a source of said pulses of double-line frequency, means for generating vpotential variations of stepped-waveform the timing of Whose potential increments are determined by said twice-line frequency pulses, and means `for generating pulses of frame frequency the timing of Whose leading and trailing edges are respectively ydetermined byk predetermined increments in` said stepped-Waveform variations. i

In order'that the said invention-'may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully desoribedwithreference to the accompanying drawings,y in which:

Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically and partly in block formi one `example of television transmitting: equipment in. accordance With'the presentinventiome Figure 2 illustrateswaveformsexplanatory of Figure 1, y

Figure 3 illustrates a modification of Figure 1,

and e Figure 4 illustrates waveforms explanatory of Figure 2. t

It Will be assumed that the'transmitt'er illustrated is designedfor-a television* system which operatesat a rate of 25 complete scanningtraversalsper second, eachzcomprising twor frames of 2021/2 lines with the lines in Aalternate frames arranged tof interlace.I The transmitter illustrate'd comprises a master oscillator arranged to generate masterpulses at twice-line frequency and-eachof Aa-du'ration equal to one-quarter'. of a line period, the `master pulse waveform being indicated` at win Figure. 2` Where the pulses are shown with a negative.fpolarity.\ The pulse Waveformiais J,utilised to controll the generation-V of synchronising pulses of line" frequency by a line frequency pulse generator 2.` The line frequency pulses serveto synchronise--theV line `frequency scanning generator 3 which feeds a linev fre'- quency sawtooth Waveform -tof the linescanning coils -4 of the television transmission tube-5 used in the transmitter. The pulsesy of line frequency from thelgenerato'r 2r are arranged toI have a duration of' about 0.05 to 0.1A of a line' period and have theirwleading edges'synchronised with alternate leading edges of the pulses a. The

construction of they devices l, 2 and 3 may be' conventional so they are not' described in detail. The pulse Waveformra,r isr also'fed from the oscillator I to a pulse operated dividing circuit 6 such, for example,"as described in United States Patent No. 2,113,011 or Iin co-pendinguUnited States Patent znzvplicationi Ser.- No. 727,250, the

circuit 6 being arranged to divide the applied pulses by 405 so as to produce frame frequency pulses, such as that indicated at b in Figure 2. The frame frequency pulses b are applied to a multivibrator 1 or other suitable triggered device so as to switch the multivibrator from one equilibrium condition to a second equilibrium condition and cause the generation of a positive pulse at the anode of one of the valves of the multivibrator once per frame. The positive pulse indicated in Figure 2c is fed to a switching circuit which comprises two diode valves 8 and 9 having a common anode impedance I8 and separate cathode impedances II and I2, which latter are returned to the tapping on a biassing potentiometer |3. The pulses c are fed to the anodes of the valves 8 and 9 as shown, whilst the master pulse waveform a is fed to the cathode of the valve 8 from the master oscillator I via a condenser I4. The cathode of the valve 9 is coupled to a differentiating circuit comprising a condenser I5 and resistance I8. The diode valves 8 and 9 are normally biassed to cut-off by the potentiometer I3 so that the master pulses a are not transmitted to the circuit I5, I6. ever, the pulses c are arranged to be of such amplitude as to render the valves 8 and 9 conducting for as long as the pulses last, so that for the duration of each pulse c, the master pulses are transmitted to the circuit I5, I6 and differentiated thereby. The differentiating circuit I5, I6 is coupled via a diode |1 to a transitron stepcounting circuit indicated generally at I8 and comprising a pentode valve I9. The diode I1 transmits only the differentiated trailing edges of the master pulses a to the step-counting circuit |8, so there is set up at the anode of the valve I9, during each pulse c a stepped-waveform potential indicated at d in Figure 2, having increments at twice-line frequency and occurring at approximately 0.25 and 0.75 of line periods, the increments being negative at the anode of the valve I9. The stepped-Waveform potential is fed to an amplifying valve 28 having anode and cathode impedances 2| paraphase versions of the waveform d are set up respectively at the anode and cathode of the valve 28. The transitron circuit I8 is arranged to re-set itself in known manner after a number of the pulses a have been counted, correc sponding to the longest pulse of frame frequency which it is required to generate so terminating one cycle of the stepped-waveform potential d. One version of the potential d, say from the anode of the valve 28, is fed back as shown to multivibrator 1 where it is applied to one of the valves, the multivibrator 1 being arranged so that the last increment of each cycle of the stepped-waveform potential d switches the multivibrator back to its first equilibrium condition and so terminates the respective positive pulse c. The step-counting circuit I8 then remains dormant until the occurrence of the next frame frequency pulse b from the dividing circuit 6. The frame frequency suppression pulse is normally the longest pulse of frame frequency which is required at the transmitter, and therefore the pulses c are used as the frame suppression pulses, and in the present example are fed to the video amplifier 23 to reduce the gain thereof t0 zero during the intervals between alternate frame scanning traversals in the television transmission tube 5, the output of the tube 5 being applied to the amplifier 23 from the output load impedance 24 of the tube 5.

and 22, so that The version of the stepped-waveform potential d set up at the anode of the valve 28 is referred to a suitable datum voltage by a D. C. inserting circuit comprising a condenser 25, resistance 26 and diode valve 21, while the version of the potential d set up at the cathode of the valve 28 is likewise referred to suitable datum level by a D. C. inserting circuit 28, 29, and 38. The paraphase versions of the potential d are then fed in parallel to the cathodes of two diode valves 3| and 32, having a common anode impedance 33, the valve 32 having a biassing resistance 34 shunted by a condenser 35 in its cathode lead. The circuit elements 28, 2|, 22 and 25 35 are arranged as described on page 587 of Part IIIA, No. 13 (vol. 94) of the Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, and as described in said publication, the elements 3| 35 serve to combine the waveform set up at the anode and cathode of the valve 20 and form a composite waveform at the anodes of the valves 3| and 32 having a most positive level during the period of any given step in the waveform d, determined by the value of the resistance 34. In the present case the resistance 34 is given such a value that the most positive level occurs, after the first increment in waveform d, part of the composite waveform including the most positive level 38, being shown at e in Figure 2. The waveforms from the anode and cathode of the valve 20 are fed to a series of other combining circuits 31 48 which, since they are similar to the circuit 3| 35 apart from the value of the biassing resistance, are shown merely in block form. The biassing resistance in the circuit 31 has such a value that the most positive level in its output occurs before the second last increment of the waveform d. The waveforms e and f are fed to a multivibrator 43, the waveform e serving to trigger the multivibrator from one equilibrium condition to another and the waveform f serving t0 trigger it back to the first condition. The time constants of the multivibrator are such that it remains in the first condition until the next occurrence of level 36 in the waveform e when the cycle of operation recommences, the output of the multivibrator being frame frequency pulses of shorter duration than the suppression pulses and indicated at Figure 2g. The pulses g are are shown as of negative polarity and they are employed as black-out pulses, being fed as shown by the lead 44 to the modulator electrode of the television transmission tube 5 so as to extinguish the electron beam therein during the frame flyback times.

The outputs of the combining circuits 38 and 39 are fed to a further multivibrator 42 where they serve to control the generation of further frame freeuency pulses, the biassing resistances in the circuits 38 and 39 being of such value that the pulses obtained from the multivibrator 42 are of slightly shorter duration than the black-out pulses g, as shown in Figure 2h. The pulses h are utilised as frame keying pulses for controlling the transmission of frame synchronising signals from the transmitter. The frame keying pulses are required to start and finish between 0.4 and 0.5 of a line period in every second frame, and to start and finish between 0.9 and 1.0 of a line period in the intervening frames. In order to achieve this timing, the keying pulses are applied to a delay circuit 45 having a delay time of about 20 microseconds, and the resultant keying pulses, one of which is indicated by dotted memoire lines' 46 in KVFigure 2hV are ffed "as fshown'to2a gating circuit 4l: the input to-fwhich comprises line frequency synchronising pulses from `the gener.; ator 2, and in'addition, .broadened twice-line fre-,- quency pulses generated by a generator' 48 under controlr ofpulses from the *master oscillator I; The leading'edges of the broadened-pulsesfare synchronisedwith thev pulses from the' generator 2, while the trailingfedgesof the broadened pulses occur at 0.9-of line periods; The gating circuit is such that during the intervals betweenthe keying pulses the gatingcircuit allows ther pas sage vof theline frequencyI synchronisingv pulses from the' generator 2A to thefmodulator circuit49 of the transmitter, while during the occurrence vof the keying pulses it allows =the passagetothe circuit 49` of the -broadenedtwice-line" frequency pulses from the generator48; The synchronising signal lwaveform fed to the circuit` 495 therefore comprises pulses of short duration4 interspersed with groupsY of broadenedr twice-line.' frequency pulses; the groups recurring at'frame frequency. Sincethe circuits 45, 415 and 48 may be'offconventional construction', they are shownmerely in blockv form. In the. vmodulator` circuiti 49' the synohronising signal waveform is mixed in .known manner with the video signals from:.the amplifier 23 vand modulated on tothe carrier. As an'alternative to delay-ing the keying pulses h' it is pos'- sible to delay-the stepewaveformvariation' fed tothecircuits 38 and 39.

The composite waveform fed from the combining circuit is indicated in Figurezy' r'and is arranged to have its-mostpositive level 53. dur.-

ing eachcycle ata convenienttimewholly .with

in the respective black-out pulse g and it is fed to'an amplifier'54-'arrangedf to beso biassed that it remains cut off except during the occurrence of the level 53?'inathe waveformtf. Theoutput of the ampler 54 thereforelcomfprises frame frequency pulses of a` duration of'. half. a line period and commencing in alternate frames .at 0.25 and 0.75 of a line period respectively.` AOne of said pulses is indicated in liligurex27c. and said pulses are fed to. a frame/frequency scanning generator 55 Which-feeds a frame'frequencyfsaw.- tooth waveform 'toV the frame scanning'4 coils-'56 for the tube 5, the pulses k terminatingthecycles of vthe waveform during-.thev intervals .whenzthe beamin the tube-5 isl extinguished rvby `the .blackout pulses the-frame frequency -triggeringpulses'lc to start at 0.25 andat 0.775701 lineperiodsasaforesaid, since this has the advantage.that` in any. frame the line synchronising pulse immediatelyxprecedr ing the camera triggering pulse: cip-frame frequencyfhas:terminatedabefore thezlatter trigger.;- ing pulse'starts'. This isindicatedrin FigureeZlc in which it isi-assumed that Athe'fframebtriggering pulse shown starts-at'0.25i of a line` period,'.the next preceding line` synchronising' pulsebeing shown` dotted at 5T, and it has the'eiect .of 1re:- ducingthe riskoiv incorrect interlacing occurring due to interference between line and4 frametscanrning circuits 3! and55'. There is,.moreover,: no disadvantage in causing the endsof'the. frame frequency triggering pulsesyk to occur.\;at.0.25 and 0.75ct a line period.alternatelyand'itisthere fore convenient, as is the case infthecir'cuit described', to arrange lthat the incrementsfinthe stepped-waveform potential dV occur lat 0.25* and 0.75 of the line' periods. In some applications it may, however, lbe desirable for other'vreasons to cause the potentialincrements toxoccur'irrsyn chronism with the leading edges of the'pulses'ta;

y. It has been- Afound:preferable-fiorl It will bei appreciated-that Vsince :both th'elead'-v ing" and trailingv edges*y of the-#pulsesE f; g "andi k` generated under controllof the steppedf-Waveform potentiald` are determined lby particular potential increments thereof, both-the Lduration and" timing. of each of the said frame frequency `pulses'ca'n be varied by times which are integral 'multiples of 'a half line period, by `adjusting the resistance 34 vandthe vcorresponding resistances intlie ciricuits`3l 40.-

A more pleasing appearance tothe raster on a receivingL tube-can be obtained if 'theframe suppression pulses start and stop at tliefbeg-inning'of aline period in all frames; This entails either. an 'unequal' spacing between. alternate frame suppression pulses, or frame suppression pulses of unequaldura'tions, the variation being one line .period in each case. vFigure 3 illustrates ay modification wherein` the f former alternative :is adopted. and according theretoithey output .of the multivibrator .1 is not utilised as the framefsup; pression pulse waveform, but functionsimerelyas keying pulses which allow operationof the steppedwaveform generator 1 8;an'd also a'furth'ersteppedwaveform Vgenerator `|30, similar tto theL generator I8. Moreover, in.thismodicationthet pulses c are arranged. to. exceedv the. duration of 1 the: sup'.- pression' pulses'which it is` required/to generate and to start'and to finish at approximatelyr025 of line .periods in, say,.oddr'numbered` framesand at .approximately 0.75 of. line. periods'in ithe interfvening frames. This is` indicated in .Figures 4m anden in which the vertical zdotted...lines=repre sent the beginnings of line'peri'ods: The .pulses i from the multivibrator .control .thei.steppedvvave-- form generator'GD by Imeans. of al switchingliand differentiating' circuit4 `6I similar toi the'k circuit 8 I1`of Figure'. 1, but1thepulsesfed'tofthe circuit 6| for initiatingl thetincrements'of the stepped-waveform potential arenot double-line frequency pulses ifrom f the .oscillator- I, .but :line frequency ,pulses f fed'v in positive" sensefrom .the generatorZ. The outputtfrom the. generator 60iis thereforeL a steppedewaveform. .potential` each of whose'steps has awdurationzof aflinef period". as indicated in Figure 4p, the potential .increments being synchronised with the .beginnings .v off; they lines. The waveform. has, moreover,l the:v saine number of steps in alternate frames.' Thev output ofthe generatoris fedto a circuit62 similarto the combined' circuits 201i. 22an'd25 3|J of Figure l", and thecircuit"62.feedsparaphase version'of the Waveformp, inv'vhich a suitableD'. C. component has `been established, toltwo combining circuits63 and "54 similar to tlievcircuit 3'l 35"ofFigurej1. `Tli`e"'output ofcir'cuit 63 is al waveform indicated" at Figure' 4"q having amost'positive level sfwhil'e' thel output 'of-S64 is a' Waveform indicated at'Figure f' 41" having a most positiveflevel 56'. The waveforms q andr areffedfto a multivibrator-6T so -as-l to'l initiate alternate transitions thereoffand the suppression pulses are taken,- in dependence :upon the-polarity desired, from the'- anode'circuit of Y one or other of thefval'ves ofthel multivibrator. The suppression pulsesvare indicatedl infFigures' and as shown areof equal? durationsfi'n successive line perridsi In .they waveforms illustrated in Figures 2- and-4 the frame frequency:rv suppression; keying and blackj-out pulses i have, for convenience"of l illustration, beenl shown as'having a duration'of 'only a few'lin'e periods but it willbe'understood' that in` practice 'their' duration` Wouldbef muchlonger; It will also be appreciatedithat the". apparatus illustrated can be readily modified to allow for the generation of other pulses of frame frequency, where necessary. The present invention is, moreover, not limited to television apparatus since it may nd application in radar equipment and pulse-multiplex systems.

What I claim is:

1. Electrical pulse generating apparatus for generating, under the control of periodic master pulses, periodic pulses of a frequency lower than that of said master pulses, comprising means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to generate keying pulses of said lower frequency, a normally inoperative step-waveform generator responsive, when operative, to said master pulses for generating a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by said master pulses, means for applying said keying pulses to render said waveform generator operative at intervals recurring at said lower frequency, and a pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of said lower frequency timed by steps in said stepped waveform.

2. Electrical pulse generating apparatus for generating, under the control of periodic master pulses, periodic pulses of a frequency lower than that of said master pulses, comprising means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to generate keying pulses of said lower frequency, a normally inoperative step-Waveform generator responsive, when operative, to said master pulses for generating a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by said master pulses, means for applying said keying pulses to render said waveform generator operative at intervals recurring at said lower frequency, a pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of said lower frequency, said pulse generator including a trigger device having two states of equilibrium, means for changing said trigger device from one state of equilibrium to another on the occurrence of one step in said step-waveform to initiate one of said output pulses, and means for changing said trigger device back to said first state on the occurrence of a subsequent step in said stepped waveform to terminate said output pulse.

3. Electrical pulse generating apparatus for generating, under the control of periodic master pulses, periodic pulses of a frequency lower than that of said master pulses, comprising means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to generate keying pulses of said lower frequency, a step-waveform generator, a gate responsive to said keying pulses to admit master pulses to said step-waveform generator at intervals recurring at said lower frequency, said step-waveform generator being responsive to admitted master pulses to generate one cycle of a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by said master pulses during each interval, and a pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of said lower frequency with the leading and trailing edge of each pulse initiated by different steps in the same cycle of said stepped waveform.

4. Electrical pulse generating apparatus for generating, under the control of periodic master pulses, periodic pulses of a frequency lower than that of said master pulses, comprising a trigger device having two states of equilibrium, means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to change said trigger device from one state of equilibrium to the other at said lower frequency, a step-waveform generator, a gate responsive to said trigger device to admit master pulses to said step-waveform generator when the trigger device is in said other state of equilibrium, said stepwaveform generator being responsive to admitted master pulses to generate a. multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by master pulses and including resetting means for terminating a cycle of the stepped waveform after a predetermined number of steps, means responsive to said resetting means for restoring said trigger device to said first state of equilibrium on termination of a cycle of said stepped waveform, and a pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of said lower frequency timed by steps in successive cycles of said stepped waveform.

5. Electrical pulse generating apparatus for generating, under the control of periodic master pulses, periodic pulses of a frequency lower than that of said master pulses, comprising means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to generate keying pulses of said lower frequency, a normally inoperative step-waveform generator responsive, when operative, to said master pulses for generating a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by said master pulses, means for applying said keying pulses to render said waveform generator operative at intervals recurring at said lower frequency, a plurality of pulse generators for generating a series of output pulses, means responsive to the stepwaveform generator for separately controlling each pulse generator to cause the pulses of each series to have their leading and trailing edges initiated by different steps in said stepped waveform.

6. In television equipment operating with interlaced scanning and including a source of master pulses of twice line frequency, frame frequency pulse generating apparatus, comprising means for dividing the frequency of said master pulses to generate keying pulses of frame frequency, a step-waveform generator, a gate responsive to said keying pulses to admit said master pulses to said step-waveform generator at intervals recurring at frame frequency, said stepwaveform generator being responsive to admitted master pulses to generate one cycle of a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by said master pulses during each interval, and a pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of frame frequency with the leading edge and trailing edge of each pulse initiated by different steps in the same cycle of said stepped waveform.

7. In television equipment operating with interlaced scanning so that twice line frequency is an odd multiple of frame frequency, and including a source of pulses of twice line frequency, means for dividing the frequency of said twice line frequency pulses to generate keying pulses of frame frequency, a normally inoperative step- Waveform generator responsive, when operative. to said master pulses to generate a multistepped waveform having potential increments initiated by trailing edges of said master pulses, means for applying said keying pulses to render said step-Waveform generator operative at intervals recurring at frame frequency to generate one cycle of said stepped waveform in each interval, a frame pulse generator responsive to said stepped waveform to generate output pulses of frame frequency having their leading and trailing edges timed by steps in successive cycles of said stepped waveform, and a line pulse generator responsive to said master pulses to generate line output pulses of duration shorter than that of said master pulses and initiated by leading edges of alternate master pulses, whereby said line and frame output pulses never overlap.

8. Electrical pulse generating apparatus cornprising a source of controlling pulses, a normally inoperative step-waveform generator, means for dividing said controlling pulses to generate pulses of lower frequency and of a duration of a plurality of periods of said controlling pulses, means for applying said lower frequency pulses to said step-Waveform generator to render said generator operative for the duration of each lower frequency pulse to generate a multistepped waveform variation under the control of said controlling pulses with the timing of each increment determined by one of said controlling pulses, means for producing rparaphase versions of said stepped waveform variation, means for combining said paraphase versions to produce a composite variation of stepped waveform having an extreme level contemporaneous with one step of said iirst stepped waveform Variation, separate means for combining said para-phase ver sions to produce composite variation of stepped Waveform having a step of extreme level contemporaneous with a later step in the same cycle of said stepped waveform variation, a trigger circuit having two limiting conditions, and means for applying said rst and second composite Variations to said trigger circuit to cause the step of extreme level in said rst composite variation to change said trigger vcircuit from one limiting condition to the other and to cause the step of extreme level in the other composite variation to return the circuit to its rst limiting condition to generate a sequence of pulses of said lower frequency with the leading edge and trailing edge of each pulse of said sequence timed by said controlling pulses.

ERIC LAWRENCE CASLINGfV WHITE.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,261,762 Hazeltine Nov. 4, 1941 2,428,913 Hulst Oct. 14, 1947 2,450,360 Schoenfeld Sept. 28, 1948 2,472,774 Mayle June 7, 1949 

